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Company getting in touch after having a car charger fitted - Is this normal?

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Jonnymack74

Jonnymack74

Member
May 8, 2021
185
116
Liverpool
#1
Hi All,

So I had my tesla home charger fitted a few months ago. It was done by Mr Charger, recommended via tesla.
All fitted, job well done. About a month or two later i got a call from a random company telling me they need to check the electricity supply to my house to ensure I am getting enough to supply the car charger. I seem to be, I get 20 odd miles per hour of charge. I was informed the service is free, and any work required is also free. Some sort of government initiative.

Anyhow, this was months ago, and this morning I get a call telling me they have a visit planned for today. I'm not in but the missus is, he visits and tells us the house needs a cable upgrade from the mains. Means my drive needs digging up etc - explains everything is put back how it was before. Problem is my Leccy box is under the stairs, and they are not digging up my newly tiles house floor.

My question is, is this normal? My house was fine before the charger, has been fine since installation, everything works normally. Why do i need an upgrade and has anyone else had this "offer"?
 
#3
Isn't that why the charger has a device to limit the car charger if the total draw of your supply hits a limit? Pretty sure the guy explained that to me when he installed last week and there's a device from the incoming feed before the board to the car charger. The last section of that link describes the device.
 
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#4
Jonnymack74 said:
May have answered my own question with this link: EV Charging and Grid Reinforcement ? - the DNO Process
Click to expand...
Some installations/chargers can use a CT clip to cut power to the charger if Amps used exceed a value.

I think mine kicks in at 60 Amps (possibly 40), with an 80 Amp DNO fuse/limit. I'd need a lot on - biggest loads would be shower & everything on the cooker/oven on. With these both on max and maybe a few other things (washing machines/dishwashers?), it would have been too close to 60 Amps.

If any DNO paperwork was done for my charger, it was done by the installer/manufacturer - and from memory there was a delay.
 
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#6
Jonnymack74 said:
Hi All,

So I had my tesla home charger fitted a few months ago. It was done by Mr Charger, recommended via tesla.
All fitted, job well done. About a month or two later i got a call from a random company telling me they need to check the electricity supply to my house to ensure I am getting enough to supply the car charger. I seem to be, I get 20 odd miles per hour of charge. I was informed the service is free, and any work required is also free. Some sort of government initiative.

Anyhow, this was months ago, and this morning I get a call telling me they have a visit planned for today. I'm not in but the missus is, he visits and tells us the house needs a cable upgrade from the mains. Means my drive needs digging up etc - explains everything is put back how it was before. Problem is my Leccy box is under the stairs, and they are not digging up my newly tiles house floor.

My question is, is this normal? My house was fine before the charger, has been fine since installation, everything works normally. Why do i need an upgrade and has anyone else had this "offer"?
Click to expand...
Seems like a scam to me. I'd ignore unless the DNO is involved, or alternatively I'd contact the DNO, where I am they are helpful.
 
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#8
What price were you quoted for this stuff, bearing in mind you were originally told it would be free?

Did your partner see what van they turned up in? Was it liveried?

If everything is working fine then I’d be inclined to simply say that you’re happy with it the way it is thank-you-very-much.
 
#9
Regardless of whether genuine or not, so many questions here before doing anything...

Do you have his name and contact details?
What is the company name?
Google search these details.
Always ask for everything to be put in writing first, if this is received then ensure this is personalised to your situation/details and not a generic template.
Always ask where they got your details from, ambiguous answers are a warning sign.
If it's a government initiative, which one exactly and Google that.
If a promise of free gains "extra costs", it's likely a scam.
Never pay upfront to any cold caller under any circumstance.

or... Just presume it's a scam and ignore it.

It doesn't sound right, always better to assume it's a scam and find out it's real than the other way around.

Mostly common sense stuff, but I thought it useful to write it down anyway.

If they call again and it's still suspicious, you could always leave your phone recording a video of the conversation while it's sat on a shelf by accident.

If it's a scam, thanks for sharing as it sounds a new one for people to be aware of.
 
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#13
Durzel said:
What price were you quoted for this stuff, bearing in mind you were originally told it would be free?

Did your partner see what van they turned up in? Was it liveried?

If everything is working fine then I’d be inclined to simply say that you’re happy with it the way it is thank-you-very-much.
Click to expand...
No price.. All free.... I'll await the next call and get all the details and revisit the thread.
 
#14
Jonnymack74 said:
No price.. All free.... I'll await the next call and get all the details and revisit the thread.
Click to expand...
I had my pod point installed a few months ago but had to inform Electricity North West prior to doing so. They came and did a survey (like the one you mention), and they found that my house is part of a 'looped supply' (i.e. the main cable from the street is shared between my property and my neighbour) and so the charger would not be working at its optimum. They advised that the loop would need to be cut and a new cable would need to be laid directly to the main supply - this would required digging up my drive. I had the same questions and was assured that everything would be put back exactly as it was, and I would not be charged a penny for the works. I told them to go ahead and here we are a couple of months later with my drive looking like it hasn't been touched (they even missed a bit of filling so they came back to finish the job with no questions asked). Really impressed with their work and their diligence.
My drive is block paved and when they were replacing the blocks they found a couple were chipped so they asked if i had any extras lying around that they could use - they could have easily just put the existing ones down and I probably wouldn't have even noticed but they were really good.
 
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#15
TM3PTN said:
I had my pod point installed a few months ago but had to inform Electricity North West prior to doing so. They came and did a survey (like the one you mention), and they found that my house is part of a 'looped supply' (i.e. the main cable from the street is shared between my property and my neighbour) and so the charger would not be working at its optimum. They advised that the loop would need to be cut and a new cable would need to be laid directly to the main supply - this would required digging up my drive. I had the same questions and was assured that everything would be put back exactly as it was, and I would not be charged a penny for the works. I told them to go ahead and here we are a couple of months later with my drive looking like it hasn't been touched (they even missed a bit of filling so they came back to finish the job with no questions asked). Really impressed with their work and their diligence.
My drive is block paved and when they were replacing the blocks they found a couple were chipped so they asked if i had any extras lying around that they could use - they could have easily just put the existing ones down and I probably wouldn't have even noticed but they were really good.
Click to expand...
Had a gas box moved by the supplier or grid. Same experience they were good. Sourced paved driveway bricks and made it all new again. Only a small portion was affected
 
#16
TM3PTN said:
I had my pod point installed a few months ago but had to inform Electricity North West prior to doing so. They came and did a survey (like the one you mention), and they found that my house is part of a 'looped supply' (i.e. the main cable from the street is shared between my property and my neighbour) and so the charger would not be working at its optimum. They advised that the loop would need to be cut and a new cable would need to be laid directly to the main supply - this would required digging up my drive. I had the same questions and was assured that everything would be put back exactly as it was, and I would not be charged a penny for the works. I told them to go ahead and here we are a couple of months later with my drive looking like it hasn't been touched (they even missed a bit of filling so they came back to finish the job with no questions asked). Really impressed with their work and their diligence.
My drive is block paved and when they were replacing the blocks they found a couple were chipped so they asked if i had any extras lying around that they could use - they could have easily just put the existing ones down and I probably wouldn't have even noticed but they were really good.
Click to expand...
What would they do if you have a stamped concrete drive? Would they have to pay for a new one to be put down as I can’t see how you’d be able to put it back together
 
#18
Zilla91 said:
What would they do if you have a stamped concrete drive? Would they have to pay for a new one to be put down as I can’t see how you’d be able to put it back together
Click to expand...
In this instance they'd discuss options with you as far as i'm aware. I mentioned about tarmac drives and how they tackle that, and the gentleman advised that although they would tarmac the area they have dug up, you would still have the 'scarring' that you see on pavements, etc when they dig up for pipes and the like. The best thing to have in these instances I block paving apparently (lucky me!).
At the end of the day, the final decision to go ahead with the work is yours (albeit that you may not be able to have the charge point - or have it working correctly - if you have a similar situation to mine, so you may have to either decide not to have it, or take the hit on the drive being disfigured).

Although, i have heard that there are ways to 'tunnel' underneath but i'm not sure how common this is so can't comment.
 
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